Mark Gorman

Old Age Poverty in Developing Countries: Contributions and Dependence in Later Life

Abstract The paper aims to provide a perspective on old age poverty. It reviews the available evidence on the incidence of old age poverty emerging from survey data analysis and from qualitative participatory studies, which indicate that old age poverty is a significant issue in developing countries. It also consideres other components of poverty in later life: access to markets, basic services, and social networks. The paper argues that understanding poverty in later life, and developing appropriate policy, requires acknowledging the contribution of older people to their households, communities, and the development process.

Population ageing and health

www.thelancet.com Vol 379 April 7, 2012 1295 Submissions should be made via our electronic submission system at http://ees.elsevier.com/ thelancet/ agenda, there are worrying signs of discrimination against older people. Background documents from the UN High-Level Meeting in September, 2010, describe the deaths of people younger than 60 or 70 years as “premature mortality”, implying that deaths of people at older ages should receive a lower priority. If we do not challenge existing policy paradigms and the social attitudes that underpin them, population ageing might indeed lead to a crisis in the provision of health and welfare services. Instead, we should see it as a welcome opportunity to challenge outdated public perceptions, political priorities, and policy models. This challenge will include reorientating health and welfare models to deliver more effi cient, equitable, and sustainable interventions. It might also include the diversion of resources from consumer spending, which in many countries has risen spectacularly over the past 30 years, towards meeting the needs of vulnerable people, whatever their age. This is an overtly political challenge; responding positively to it will benefi t people of all ages in all societies.

Older people and development: the last minority?

Ageing populations, already a well-established phenomenon in the countries of the North, are also a growing issue in the South. This demographic transition is, however, occurring in the South without the rising affluence which accompanied industrialisation in the North. This article examines a variety of dimensions of the problem in the South, including older peoples socio-economic and health situations, and their roles in family and community. It questions whether changes in the status of older people are due to modernising forces, or to structural inequalities (differences in wealth and social position) which exist in all societies, but are particularly prevalent in the poorer countries of the South.

Mobility, Transport and Older People’s Well-Being in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review and Prospect

This chapter presents a review of the very limited research on older people’s mobility and transport needs in urban and rural contexts across Anglophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This is followed by reflections on recent mixed-methods research conducted through an NGO—academic collaboration with older people in rural Tanzania. Three themes given particular emphasis are, firstly, the significance of relationality in mobilities research with older people—other family and community members may substantially contribute to the shaping of older people’s mobile lives; secondly, the importance of exploring potential new connectivities associated with mobile phone and motorcycle-taxi usage among older people which may improve their well-being; and thirdly the value of taking a co-investigation approach to research with older community members. The final portion of the chapter is concerned with identification of significant research gaps where mobilities/transport-focused research with older people in sub-Saharan Africa is urgently needed.

Peter Lloyd-Sherlock, Population Ageing and International Development: From Generalisation to Evidence , Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 2010, 304 pp., pbk £22.99, ISBN 13: 978 1 84742 192 0.

or guilt is difficult to say. This is an excellent book for anyone with an interest in issues around housing, care and inheritance. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of existing research alongside new empirical insights. The international and historical comparisons provide much food for thought, particularly in relation to that complex issue of convergence. Like any good book, it left me wondering about further questions. Why is convergence taking place? Is further convergence inevitable? What are the underlying drivers of changing policies, attitudes and practices? Perhaps Izuhara’s future work can explicate these fundamental questions still further.